she's maya macguineas, director of the fiscal policy program at the new america foundation. >> there are two competing narratives on the health of social security. narrative one? the program faces insolvency, but down the road. the trust funds will be able to cover the costs for about 25 more years but then, all of a sudden, benefits will have to be cut abruptly for everyone-- including the poorest retirees. narrative two? social security has now started running cash flow deficits. covering these costs will cost taxpayers trillions of dollars and add unmanageable strains on the budget. guess what? both are true. politicians are busily fighting over which is the correct description of the problem. the irony is that whichever narrative one prefers, the policy prescription is the same: we need some combination of benefit cuts and tax increases, and the sooner we make them, the more fairly the changes can be spread. here's the bottom line: the nation's largest government program faces insolvency. changes have to be made. rather than fighting over which is the right narrative, politicians